The Sun. — London, England, 1864-08-16 00:00:00

longworth and the " Saturday Review." (From the Scotsman.) An action of damages, concluding for £3,000, has been raised by Miss Longworth against the Satur day Review, for the article published in it on Satur day the 30th of July. The grounds of it can be learnt from the " condescendence," which is as follows : " CONDESCENDENCE. " Con. I.—The defenders in this action, are the proprietors of the Saturday Review, a weekly jour. nal, published in London. The articles in said journal consist entirely of comments on current events and reviews of books. For the most part they are written with great ability, and in a style indicating that their authors are educated gentle. men. The said journal is much read by the more intelligent classes, and has an extensive circulation in Britain and the British colonies, and is read in foreign countries also as a leading exponent of British public opinion. _ Con. 2. The pursuer has for several years been involved in a litigation in which she asserts her right to be the declared wife of William Charles Yelverton, major in h er M a j es ty's Royal Artill ery, In 1861 a jury in Dublin affirmed that she is the wife of Major Yelverton; and by Inte rlocutor of the 19th December, 1862, the First Division of the Court of Session in Scotland found the same fact to be proved. " Con. 3.—The said interlocutor of the Court of Session was appealed to the House of Lords, and on the 28th of July, 1864, the said House, in accord ance with the result of the opinions of Lords Wens leydale, Chelmsford, and Eingsdown, and in oppo sition to the opinions of the Lord Chancellor and „Lord Brougham, recalled the said interlocutor. In tale Saturday -Review, published by the defenders ou Saturday, the 30th July, 1864, the judgment of the House of Lords is commented on and approved i n an article headed The Yelverton Case.' The conduct and letters of the pursuer are also com mented on unfavourably in said article. The num ber of the Retriew containing such article was , sold extensively in Britain, and has been circulated in various parts of the world. Moreover, the article itself was quoted, in whole or in part, by many newspapers in England, Scotland, and Ireland. " Con. 4.—The article throughout abounds in di rect or cavert attacks upon the pursuer's character. It suggests that, had she appeared personally, she would have enlisted the feelings of the Judges in the House of Lords in the same practical way, or by some sirailar way to that adopted in the case of an Athenian lady of doubtful fame,' referring, it is be ll to Phryne, the Athenian courtesan, and in sinuating, - and intending to insinuate, that the pursuer is of profligate character or of doubtful fame, or of both. It proceeds to state, falsely and calumniously, that the pursuer's version of what occurred in Ireland was absolutely untrue,' and in sinuates that because of her falsehood in this version her word is not to be believed. And in dis cussing, and in part condemning, the character of Major Yelverton, it states that he was much more the pursued than the pursuer. A t any rate, he gave the lady fair warning. He pointed out that her ruin would be the result of a renewal of their acquaintance, and he gave her the choice of renew ing it or not. That renewal was her act, not his.' AU this is false in every particular, and it is espe cially false, and is besides calumnious, in respect that it represents that her ruin was her own act, and was chosen by her after warning, which is the meaning and effect of the passage quoted, " Con. s.—The concluding passage of the article is as follows As to Miss Longworth, we would now say as little as we can. When all the world was on her side—when she wss the triumphant ob ject of what are called Irish ovations, when all Scot t nd made her virtues as much an article of faith as Queen Mary's innocence, and when nearly the whole of England echoed their salutations—we expressed ourselves intelligibly on this lady's life and charac ter. The highest English tribunal has now fully accepted that view which four years ago was both uncommon and unpopular. It were ungenerous to press heavily on anyone who is down I doubly un generous in the case of a woman of very remarkable powers, great intellectual accomplishments, and now labouring under the heavy burden of failure and hu miliation. To say that in our judgment she fully deserves her fate may sound harsh ; but to say much less were to compromise the interests of truth and morality. She has a thorny bed to lie on, but she has made it for herself. And if we express ourselves strongly, it is chiefly because the Lord High Chan cellor of England has thought proper, in his judi cial capacity, not only to pronounce a high eulogium on the intellectual capacity displayed in Miss Long worth's letters, but to declare that their tone is con sistent with " honourable courtship." The inte rests of morality would, we think, be seriously com promised were this judgment to rest on any higher grounds than Lord Westbury's opinion of what may be the proper style of correspondence between unmarried —or, for the matter of that, between married—persons. To right-thinking persons there is much in these terrible letters which is simply loathsome. We have no notion of making a hercine of such a person as Miss Longworth. She is out of keeping with society, both as it is and as it ought to be. She is an adventuress, launched into the world nobody knows how, with a previous history which has never been told. She is a Scour de Cha. rite. but she meets and courts adventures little in keeping with semi-conventual dress and office. She sinners it and saints it by turns or at once. She is made up of passion and prudence, of hard intellec tual vigour and sensuous thoughts and feelings She writes as no modest woman writes, and she schemes as no modest woman would scheme. She has religious scruples, but they do not restrain her from provoking at least to sin. The best that can be hoped for her is that she will abandon that world which will act moat kindly by forgetting her, and forgiving her offence against society.' " Con. 6.—The said article, as a whole, and par• ticularly in the passages aforesaid, is false and ca. lumnious, and is calculated and intended to repre. sent the pursuer as an immoral, disreputable, immo dest person, who was out of keeping with or unfit for society, both as it is and as it ought to be; whose conduct was inconsistent with hsr religious profes sion, and was such that she fully deserves failure and humiliation' and ruin ; whose letters were in their tone inconsistent with honourable courtship, and were such as no modest woman would write, and were of a style improper either for married or unmarried parties, and were 'simply loathsome' to right-thinking persons, from their immodesty and immorality—or it makes one or more of these false and calumnious repres , mtations or insin- uations. Although the history of her whole life from childhood was fully investigated, in order that her character might be assailed, and was made the sub ject of lengthy evidence in the proof in the con joined actions upon which the House of Lords gave it:OW:neat, the said article falsely asserts that she is an adventuress, launched into the world nobody knows how, with a previous history that has never been told,' insinuating, and intending to insinuate, by this false and calumnious assertion that her pre• vious history had been of so disreputable a charac ter that it could not be told without shocking pub lic decency, or making some similar insinuation prejudicial to the pursuer's moral character. "Con, 7,--Th e said article, in whole or in part, is of and concerning the pursuer, and is false and calumnious, and contains statements for the making o f which there was and is no probable cause ; and the said statements aro malicious, and are not jus tifiable as fair newspaper comments upon proceed. i ngs taking place in a court of justice. By the said slanderous statements the pursuer has been greatly injured in her feelings and reputation, and this action is necessary - to the vindication of her charac- ter, and to res!oro her against patrimonial injury. ‘; Con. B,—Tao defenders do riot reside in Scot. land, but sums of money due to th em have been pudenda cause, in th e h ands arrested,juriscliction:s of Mes E r a. Ad am an d Ch a rlea Black, book se ll ers and publishers in Edinburgh; Messrs. Wm. Blackwood and Sons, bon;;; ;e n ers a nd publishers there ; Messrs. Edmonston and Douglas, booksellers and publishers there; and Mr William P. Niguel°, bookseller and p u there." Naval and Military Intelligence, One of the most important subjects of inquiry brought under the consideration of the Lords of the Admiralty during their official visit to Plymouth last week was that which relates to the dock ac commodation at Devonport and at Keyham. In Devonport yard there are four , docks—viz., the basin dock, 266 ft. long, now occupied by the Cale. donia, 35; the new long dock (formerly two, one inside the other), 415 ft. bin. long by 73ft. broad, the longest at Plymouth, and which was occupied in June by the Black Prince; No. 3 dock, 209 ft. 0 3 . l ong ; and No. 4,263 ft. 4in. long. Nos. 3 and 4 are the docks which will probably be lengthened to suit ships of modern construction. In Keyham yard there are three docks,—No. 1, now occupied by the Zealous, 277 ft. by 90ft. Bin., made just long enough about five years since to receive the Hima laya with her rudder placed on one side ; No 2 dock, now oocupied by the Megmra, 281 ft. 9in. by 92ft.; and No. 3, or the Queen's dock, 94ft. broad (the first ship received being her Majesty's ship Queen), lately lengthened to 384 ft. When the Channel squadron was at Plymouth in June No. 1 dock received the Edgar, No. 2 the Royal Oak, and No, 3 the Warrior. By the report of the Select Committee, published in The Sun on Friday, it ap pears that some of the witnesses think that two ad ditional first class docks are required here ; others think three. The difficulty of deciding whether there should be two or three bears no relation to the difficulty of determining the length, breadth, and position of the docks, so as, if possible, to anti cipate the size and requirements of the future navy of Great Britain. The south basin, 7 acres, 32 perches, has during last year been deepened 6ft.; it is now 25ft. deep, but it can be filled by pump ing to 28ft. The north basin, 5 acres, is being en larged in a northerly direction to, say, 10 acres. The side of the northern boundary wall next the basin will be finished with wrought stone, water tight ; the side to the north distant 60ft. is faced with the rough stone from the buildings of the old gunpowder magazine. There is some discussion about the possibility of placing one dock inside the other, as in some of the Russian arsenals, by which mode the level of the platform of the inner dock is considerably higher than that of the outer. Then there is a difference of opinion as to whether the docks should run north and south, parallel with the Hamoaze, or at right angles with that harbour, like those already constructed inside the basins both at Devonport and Keyham. It is to be hoped that in this case the longest dock will be placed immedi• ately opposite the entrance from the sea, and not like the Queen's dock in Keyham basin, the en trance to which is diagonal from the lock; and it is further suggested that the entrance to the new basin should, if possible, not be at right angles with the stream outside. In order partly to remedy this defect it has been recently necessary to erect a diagonal jety outside thecomparativelynew entrance to the south basin of Keyham Steamyard. From what transpired during the visit of the Board to Plymouth there appears to be no present intention to build iron ships there. It is more probable that Pembroke Dockyard, which is so near the iron and coal districts, may be converted for that purpose, and that at Keyham increased facilities will be given to fit ships out after they are constructed—a duty for which that yard appears, by the report of the Select Committee, to be admirably adapted. The screw steamship Majestic, 80, Capt. James A. Paynter, from the Coastguard service at Liver pool, arrived in Plymouth Sound yesterday morning. The official trial of the new steam tender, con structed on the double-screw principle, which has been built for the iron frigate Achilles, took place in Chatham harbour yesterday afternoon, under the superintendence of the cfficials connected with the dockyard. It was highly satisfactory, and showed the immense advantages possessed by vessels fitted with twin screws as compared with those driven by the single propeller. The little steamer tested yesterday is in all respects similar to the tender recently constructed at Chatham for the Bombay, 67, 400-horse power, Capt. Colin A. Campbell, flagship of Rear-Admiral the Hon. C. G. J. B. Elliott, C. 8., and fitted with engines by Messrs. Penn and Co. She is exactly 42ft. in length and lift. in breadth, or in other words, is of the dimensions of an ordinary man-of-war's launch. From a vessel of this kind she only differs in being fitted with a portable steam engine for driving her screws. Her machinery, which has been con. strutted by Messrs. Maudslay, Sons, and Field, is nominally of 3 horse power, but being on the high pressure principle, and capable of being worked up to 100 lb. to the square inch, her power can be in creased to that of 26 horses. Each screw is driven by means of its own independent shafting, which thus enables either propeller to be worked either ahead or astern. The screws are four bladed and are set at a pitch of 3ft. 4iin. The diameter of each screw shaft is 2in., and the length 18ft. There are four cylinders, each of 41b. in diameter, and the length of the stroke is bin. The total weight of the engines, with 9 cwt. 291 b. of water in the boilers, is 4 tons 7 cwt., or about one-third less than those of the engines of the tender built for the Bombay. The officials embarked at the dockyard pier yesterday, the trial being under the direction of Mr. Baker, chief engineer and inspector of machinery; Mr. Warriner represented the firm of Messrs, Maudslay and Co., and had charge of the engines. After getting clear of the harbour the head of the steamer was laid for Garrison Point and a run was made down Gillingham Reach to the iron frigate Achilles. At this time there was a pressure of steam of from 65 to 701 b., and the screws were making-300 revo. 'talons per minute. The trials with the tender then commenced, and her rate of speed was ascertained, but in consequence of the Lords of the Admiralty not yet having had a measured mile laid off outside Chatham harbour, an approximate estimate only was formed of her speed, which was taken at about 6,1 knots per hour, with 2SO to 330 revolutions of the screw per minute. The most important por tion of the trials, however, was that relating to her powers of steering by means of the screw without the rudder. With both screws working ahead the circle to port was made in 1 min, 15 secs., and that to starboard in about the same time. Reversing the screws—and in this lies the chief advantage of the double-screw principle —the complete circles were made in from 35 to 45 secs., the launch spinning round in a circle the radius of which was about her own length. This demonstrated the annoyance which could be inflicted on a vessel of war of large dimensions by a few of these launches, each armed with a 40-pounder Arnistrong. Yesterday the Royal Engineer.forces at Chatham garrison were employed in extensive engineering operations for the destruction of a large cliff, com posed of chalk, earth, and stones, at Caxton, near Rochester. For about six weeks past a portion of the Royal Engineers have been encamped in the neighbourhood, and have been daily employed, under the direction of Lieut. Fraser, in sinking the shafts, driving the galleries, and in other operations re quired before the cliff could be destroyed. For this purpose four shafts were sunk in various pelts of the cliff, the depth of the lowest being 62 ft., while the base of each communicated with galleries in which were deposited the four charges of powder, containing, in the aggregate, between 5,0001 b. and 6,0001 b. weight. The number of smaller charges was 54, each consisting of 100 lb. of powder. The necessary operations of" tamping," &c., having been completed, arrangements were made for igniting the charges, which was effected by means of a current of electricity from tno voltaic battery, each charge being fired simultaneously. The whole of the operations were under the charge of Capt. Parsons, while the general arrangementswere car r i e d out by Col. Lovell, C. 8., and Col. Scott. Everything being completed, the bugle sounded the order to " fire," and the batteries having been brought into use the charges were ignited instantaneously. Th e huge cliff then hulg eat with a dull roar, and the entire mass was thrown down. The quantity o f chalk and flint detached by the explosion was cal culated at 1,000,000 cubic yards, but the exact result will be ascertained to-day. The following appointments were made yesterday at the Admiralty :—George S. Goddard, assist.- paymaster, to the Irresistible ; John C. Thompson, firataclass assist.-engineer, and Thomas F. P. Shel ley, second-cl a ys assist.,eugineer, to the U rt rge . THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 16, 1864. THE VOLUNTEERS. Among the new regulations issued to the Volunteer force was one authorizing all " efficients" to wear an " efficient badge" on the right arm. Lord Hartington has issued the following circular on the subject to each Volunteer com manding officer i— " Sire—lnspecting officers of Volunteers having observed a deviation in many cases from the form of badge autho rized to be worn by Volunteers as a mark of their classifi cation as efficients,' lam directed by the Earl de Grey and Ripon to call your attention to Article 67 of the Volunteer Regulations, and to state that the badge in question should consist of a ring of silver lace round the sleeve of the right arm above the cuff, passing over any other lace or em broidery which may belong to the uniform, and should not be made in the form of a chevron." The badge has been worn in the chevron form by many corps, and it will now have to be altered to a ring. The annual prize competitions of the St. George's Rifle Volunteer Corps took place on Saturday last at the butts on Wormwood Scrubhs. The selection of music played by the excellent regimental band enlivened the proceedings, and made them more attractive to visitors than competitions usually are, and the ground during the afternoon had all the appearance of a Volunteer fete. The shooting, too, was ren dered particularly interesting by several novel features. A prize of £l5, given by Lord Vernon, was competed for with five shots at 400 yards, on the Swiss principle of concentric circles. The target was divided into increasing circles, de scribed from the centre, the smallest, or bull's-eye, count ing nothing, the others 1,2, 3, and the outer 4—a miss 5. The lowest score was to take the prize, to which five others were added for the next lowest scores. The prize winners were Mr Blaise, 7—Mr A. Crookes, B—Mr Pouncey, 9 Mr, Henery, 10—Mr IJ'Kenzie, 10—and Mr Hummel!, 11. Four valuable challenge plates were competed for at the Wimbledon (Enfield) ranges and targets—as the St. George's Challenge Cup, value 100 guineas, carrying with it the regimental gold medal—the Turner plate, value 100 guineas, carrying with it the regimental silver medal—the Ladies' Challenge Plate, value 50 guineas, also carrying with it a silver medal—and Messrs Ortner and Houle's Silver Challenge Shield, carrying with it an electro type facsimile. These were respectively won by Ensign A. Crookes with 42—Private Andrews, 40—Ensign Stewart, 39 —and Capt Peel (after shooting a tie with several others) with 36. The regimental prizes, 26 in number, comprising silver cups and flasks to the value of £l5O were competed for, and the topmost scores were made by Private Blaise, 41—Private W. Smith, 39—Private Pitts, 39—and Private W. L. Hind, 36, who had their choice of the prizes, No. 3 Company won the volley firing prize. The last prizes were contained in a very large packing case, and were termed "unknown prizes," as they were to be kept secret until won. These were competed for as "consolation prizes" by those who had won nothing. When the case was opened it was found to contain packets of valuable books, framed pictures, meerschaum pipes, boxes of cigars, a very valuable portable chair, dressing cases, and other numerous prizes, besides a box of champagne, which was to be consumed on the ground. All the prizes were at once distributed, and the proceedings closed with cheers for the prize donors. The prize shooting of the 21st Middlese x (Ci v il S erv i ce ) was brought to a c l ose at Wimbledon on Saturday. The Challenge Cup, value 100 guineas, ranges 200, 500, and 600 yards, 10 shots at each, has been won by Private Plaskett, A Company, with 81 points-70 members competed for this prize. The Ladies' Challenge Cup, value 30guineas, ranges 300 and 600 yards, 7 shots at each, and won by Private Herries, A Company, with 33 points. Battalion.—The First Prize of £lO for marksmen, ranges 600 and 700 yards, 7 shots at each, was won by Corporal Taylor, G Company, with 38 points. All efficient members were entitled to enter, and Wimbledon targets and scoring were adopted throughout. The 7th Surrey Volunteer Corps, which is commanded by Major Beresford, was inspected on Saturday evening last by Colonel Ibbotson at the head -quarters, Kennington-lane. The number present and absent with leave made up an effective strength of 430, as contrasted with 339 last year, showing asatisfactory increase. The regiment went through the usual light infantry movements, and the inspecting officer, in aearessing the corps, expressed his complete satis faction with all he had seen, but he warned the members not imagine that volley and file firing was better for being quickly dune. He said that both officers and the other mem bers had shown themselves to be well drilled, and he should make a favourable report to the War-office, One of the non commissioned officers, on behalf of his fellows in rank and the privates of the regiment, presented the commanding officer with a handsaw.; and valuable sword as a mark of respect, and in r cognition of the gallant gentleman's ser vices to the regiment. The complimentary gift was suitably acknowledged, and the evening's duties concluded with cheers for the inspecting and commanding officers. The Ist Hants Administrative Battalion of Rifle Volun teers, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Humphrey, M.P., and which is formed of the companies stationed in the towns of Winchester, Andover, Rummy, Yately, and Alresford, were officially inspected a few days ago by Col. Luard, the assistant inspector of volunteers for the district, in the park of Penton-lodge, near Andover, the eeat of their command ing officer. The battalion was composed on the occasion of the Ist, 11th, 13th, 15th, and 16th Hampshire corps, numbering altogether 204, of whom 229 constituted the rank and file, four were captains, eight subalterns, and five staff officers and 22 sergeants. The various companies were conveyed by rail to Andover, and marched thence to Pen • ton, a distance of three miles. The drill lasted two hours, during which they were put rapidly through a number of battalion and light infantry movements. At the conclu sion of the review the battalion formed into quarter dis tance column, and Colonel Luard, addressing them, said he had been very much gratified by the manner in which they had acquitted themselves,:and,he should be enabled to make a favourable report of them to the War-office. He also con gratulated them on the efficiency of their colonel. As this compliment to their commanding officer the men raised a cheer, which Colonel Luard stopped, observing that it was the only unsoldierlike thing they had during the day. The inspection over Colonel Humphrey entertained Colonel Luard and the whole battalion, officers and men, at a sump tuous dinner, which was served under a marquee in his park, the colonel himself presiding. The sight of a volun teer inspection was new to that part of Hampshire, and the day being fine, the neighbours for miles round came to witness it. Upwards of 100 had luncheon at the Lodge, and as many more took tea later in the day. In Suffolk, the Bungay, Beccles, Loddon, Hurlestone and Diss corps were last week inspected on Bungay• common by Col, Ibbetson. The total number of all ranks present was 296. Col. Ibbetson complimented the troops on their gene ral efficiency, at the same time recommending increased attention to drill, Several movements may be noticed in Norfolk. On Thurs day a competition for some prizes, given by Mr J. Middle ton, of Hainford, were shot for on the Mouselwold range by volunteers of Norwich and Norfolk. The sum presented by Mr Middleton was £5O, and this was divided into eight prizes —viz., for the highest totals at the three ranges selected-200, 500, and EOO yards, £l5, £lO, £7, £5, Li, and for the best score at each of the ranges £3 each. There were upwards of 100 entries, and Col. Black accepted the post of umpire, the firing parties being commanded by Lieut. Asker and Sergeant Major Goswold. Private Brun ton, of East Dereham, won the chief prize, and Major Hoa way seemed the second. The 590 yards' range prize was won by Private Dewhurst, of Norwich, and the 600 yards' prize by Sergeant Bridgman, of Norwich. The Norwich battalion will be inspected by Col. Ibbetson on Monday, Aug. 22. A contest has taken place on the Pakenham range for a double set of wickets, bats, &c., and a bat for the second shot, presented by Sir W. Jones. There were eight competitors, and the ranges were 200, 500, and 600 yards. Corporal Martin took the first prize with 34 marks, and Private Martin the second, with 31 marks. Some prizes presented by the Mayor of Great Yarmouth, the members for the borough, and the officers of the battery have been shot for by the Ist Norfolk Artillery Volunteers. There wen 3G entries, and Battery Sergeant Major Mack won £2 2s and a medal; Battery Sergeant Baker, £2 2s and a cup; Sergeant Major Stolworthy, £1 ls ; Gunner Stringer, £1 Is ; Sergeant Cocks and Gunner Bulli more, 17s each, and 14 others lOs each. The target was 12ft square, with a 4ft bull's-eye, placed 1,500 yards from the battery, with a space marked out for an inns ring, and one for an outer. The target was struck 11 times. The 2d Norfolk Administrative Battalion was inspected last week at Wymondham by Colonel Ibbetson who expressed hie satisfaction with the movements sae. cuted, The members of the Lincoln corps, to the number of 120, have been entertained by Captain Keymouth; several evolutions were executed under the command of Captain Swan. A new squad of recruits is about to be formed in connection with the Lincoln corps. The present squad of recruits are now going through preliminary musketry drills. Prizes given by the Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire (Lord Aveland) have been shot for by the Artillery Volunteers of the county of Grimsby. The first prize was won by Mr Robenson, and the second by Mr Blanchard, both of the Grimsby battery; the third prize was carried off by a member of the Boston battery. Ensign Waters, of the Bourn corps, has resigned his commission. Some competitiow for prizes have taken place in Cam/ bridgeshiro and the Isle of Ely. A valuable chased silver cup, given by Captain Calthrop, was shot for by the Ely corps. Several metubers of the corps having carried off all the first.class prizes it was determined by the donor to handicap them as fellows :—First-class men to fire two rounds at 200, three at 300, four at 400, five at 500, and six at 600 yards. Non-prizemen to fire six rounds at 200, five at 300, four at 400, three at 500, aad two at 600 yards. The cup was won by Sergeant Josselyn, one of the prize -holders, who obtained 51 marks. The 221 monthly competition for the Wisbech Challenge Cup resulted in favour of Private Smith, who now holds the cup far the second time. A return match between the 3d Cambridgeshire (Captain Liveing's Company and the 17th Essex (Saffron Walden) has taken place at the Cambridge University range. The shooting was at ranges of 200, 500. and 600 yards, and the scores made were as follows :-3d Cambridgeshire, 315 marks ; 1 7th Essex, 324 marks. The inspection of the Herefordshire battalion of Volun • teers took plate at Ledbury, the inspecting officer being the Captain and Adjutant, in the absence of Lieut.- Colonel Fie:den. Taare were eight c.:nupanies, numbering, with officers, about 300. The evolutions occupied about three hours, and at their termination the commanding officer addressed the battalion in a short complimentary speech, in the course of which he said he should not have been ashamed if their evolutions that day had been watched by any officer of the Line. The Volunteers dined together afterwards. An important competition took place last week in Som er e setshire. The Wells corps, notwith s t an di ng th e heavy loss attending last year's meeting, determined to organise another, in which they were joined by the neighbouring corps of Shepton Mallet. The highest prize was £4O, and the competition was divided into four classes—A and C, 500 and 600 yards, and B and D, 200 and 300 yards. On the first day the weather was very gusty, and scoring was difficult. The first prize of £4O was won by Mr Parsons, Hon. Artillery Company, with 32 points—Ensign Milson, of Bath, was second, with 29, taking £ls—Private Under hill, 2d Oxford, made 28 points, and took £lO. In the B competition Private Mercer, Bath, took the first prize of £l5 with only 30 points—Sergeant Cortis, Sussex, the second, of £5, with a like score. The shooting of the second day commenced with the C competition. Colonel Halford, Leicester, took the first prize of £3O with 30 point s only—Captain Williams, London, the second, of £2O, with 29 points—the Rev W. Brown, Exeter, and Smith, Inns of Court, the tbird and fourth, of £lO, iith 29. In the D competition Sergeant Compton, South Middlesex, obtained the first prize of £lO with 34 points, the highest score of the entire competition—Ellis, of Frome, the second, of £s,with 32. The cup, value £lO, for the highest aggregate score of the whole competition, was won by Colonel Halford—and the second prize of £5, a cup, by Sergeant Clutterbuck. In Yorkshire four days of last week were occupied with the annual prize meeting under the auspices of the York shire Rifle Association. The meeting, as in previous years, was held on Shensall-common, between Melton and York. The prize list showed 19 distinct contests, for which the aggregate of the money values exceeded £5OO. This splendid list brought up over 1,000 entries, the competitors being from all parts of the county. Upon the whole the weather has been very gusty and unfavourable for high scoring, the last day excepted. The list contained prizes for effective volunteers, for officers, for non-commissioned officers, of the let West York Rifles, for Artillery and Militia, and for all comers, the latter for Enfields and small-bores. The results of the shooting are given below. The Whitworth rifle, value £25, presented by Colonel the Earl de Grey and Ripon, to be competed for by thiee shots at unknown ranges, had 160 entries. The wind was nearly blowing a gale, nevertheless great skill was shown in the shooting. The winner, Corporal Story, Helmsley, made three bull's eyes in succession, thereby scoring 12. The first stage of the Yorkshire Volunteer Cup, in which seven money prizes, from £lO to £2, were for competition, had 126 entries, of whom 105 competitors appeared. At distances of 400, 600, and 600 yards, at each five shots, the lowest score was 18. The winner was Sergeant Mackereth, Scarborough, who made a score of 47. Daring the shooting one of the markers was wounded in the neck, but not seriously, by a piece of flying lead from a spent bullet. On the second day the mist caused much time to be lost by the length of sighting re quired. For Lieut.-Colonel Lord Londesborough's donation of £25 in four prizes, 97 compe.itors came up. These had seven shots each at 600 yards range, and very good scores were made. Captain Farrow, of Bradford, was first, with a score of 21, and Sergeant R. Ward, York, second, with a score of 20. The four money prizes, in all £37, given by the city of York, were shot for in any position, with five shots at 400 and 600 yards, No less than 94 competitors presented themselves. The unusual score of 19, at 600 yards, was made by Sergeant Ibbotson, of Guisley, who was the winner of the first prize with a total of 36. The next con test was for the great prize of the meeting. and was con• fined to the 25 best shots for the Yorkshire Volunteer Cup, first stage. The distances were 650 and 700 yards, at each range five shots. The first prize, the cup and £4O, with the champion's medal, was won by Colour-Ser geant Dove, of Scarborough, with a score of 29, the second being Private I'. Trotter £10), who scored 28. The winner of the cup on this occasion was also the winner of the £5O last year, The next contest was for the prizes given by the town of Halifax, 11 in number, ranging from £l5 to £2. Any position was allowed, and the ranges were 200 to 500 yards, at each five shots. The number of competitors was 93. The winners were Colour- Sergeant Dove, Scarborough, 31; Private C. Golden, Bradford, 34. The opening contest on the third day was for the York city prizes, second series, varying from £2O to £3, five shots at 200 and 500 yards. Sixty-one competitors entered the lists, and, although the wind was every now and again a hurricane, the shooting was anything but bad. The chief prize was won by Pri vate 'f. W. Other, of Carperby, who made 28 points. The next was the All-Corners' contest for smallbere, and the most remarkable feature in connection with it was the de feat of all the most noted shots, who were not even placed. The weather seemed to baffle them completely, Captain Heaton doing so badly that he retired from the contest atter firing a brace of shots at GOO yards. The maximum score of 20 was not made at all at GOO yards, 19 being the highest. The gusts of wind and rain were perplexing in the extreme, and caused not only Captain Heaton, but also Captain Ross, Halsall (Wigan), Sharman (Halifax), and Cundy (Rotherham), to retire at the 6GO yards' range. The distances were 500 and 600 yards, five shots at each, with any rifle and in any position. The winners were Mr J. B. Helroyd, of Halifax, and Lieut. Harland, Bridlington, each 37, who divided the first and second prizes. The succeeding contest was for the All-Comers' Enfield prizes, nine in number, from £l5 to £3, any position, five shots at 400 and 500 yards, 75 competitors. The wind and rain perplexed the shots very much, and suite upset all prestige. The re sults showed that Sergeant Knowles, of the Guisley, Cor poral Blenkhorn, of Richmond, and Lieut. Fryer, of Ley burn, tied with 32, and diAided the first three prizes. Lady Londesberough's Cup, valae 75 guineas, was the last prize competed for, and was shot for at 200, 500, and 600 yards by ten picked men of the Hull and Ist West York batta • lions, each man having seven shots at each range. The result was a victory for the York men, who scored 521, against 409 for the Hull nen. Before separating Colonel Harman consulted the vo unteers as to the range for nest year, and Shensall-common was unanimously chosen again, RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE, GREAT EASTE I N CITY EXTENSION. By the Extension Ac, which has i just become law, the company undertake to ran a train from Edmonton and Wal thamstow to the Liverpool - street station every morning be fore 7 o ' c l oc k , and bacit again every evening at 6 o'clock, as may b e mos t conve nient f or art i sans, mec h an i cs, an d labourers, at a charge rot abov e Id, per j ourney, b u t th e y are not to b e com p e ll e d to issue such tickets for a rasa period than one week, nor wi;hout reasonable satisfaction that the applicant s are o f th e m orking c l ass, f or w hi c h t h ey ma y de mand name and address both of appli can t an d employer, and in ca se o f acc id en t the company are not to be liable to any claim for compensation for injury to passengers beyond 100, --- LONDON, TILI3URY, AND SOUTHEND. The directors of this company state in their report that the-revcnue account furnished by the lessees showed that the receipts for the balf year ending June 30 had been £24,934, and the expenses £16,985, leaving a balance of £7,090, w hi c h was £5 more than for the corresponding half of last year. The capital account showed that £800,436 had been zeceived and £729,244 expended, leaving a ba lance of £6,192. The fares to Gravesend were raised by the lessees in April last, and the increased charges, with the exception of 2d. on the first-class single tickets, had been appropriated to tl.e dues for the terry between Til bury and Gravesend. The ferry:was farmed by the lessees, and the receipts and expenses were not included in the revenue statement. The directors regretted that they had been unable to induce the lessees to resume the publica tion of the weekly traffic receipts. WHITEIIAVEN ,A.ND FURNES3 JUNCTION. The directors of this company intend to recommend a dividend at the rate of 7i per cent. per annum for the half year ending June 30. The half yearly meeting of ULSTER this company was held on Friday, at Belfast —Mr W. Coates in the chair. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, said that, although they hallsn increased traffic, they had an increased expenditure, particularly in the item of inte rest. Alth oug h t h ey had an increase o f £6,600, it had cost a considerable sum to obtain it, and with high rate of inte rest and extra price of coal the increase of receipts had been absorbed. The directors had done everything in their power to increase the receipts of the line. A large sum of money had been expended by them 071 other lines that was still unproductive. They had spent £BB,OOO, for which they were getting nothing. Neither the Clones and Cavan line nor the Dungannon and Banbr id ge lines had come u p t o their expectations. 1e concluded by moving that the re port be adopted, and that a dividend of 22s :6d per share upon the £5O :shares, na 3d per share on the £25 shares, and at the rate of 3 per cent. per annum on the £l2 10s shares, less income tax, p a y a ble on the 17th inst, Mr G. PIM second e d the motion, and said that ho had been informed that every ascettainable charge that could be made out had been placed against revenue, so that he hoped there was nothing outstanding. A long and personal discussion, ensued, after which the report was adopted, and the dividends were declared. The retiring directors—Messrs, Allen, Murland, Mul holland, and Bell —were re-elected, and also Mr J. U. Bell. the retiring auditor. The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman. received the Royal assent on the 23d of June last. The con tract for the works had been let to Mr Tredwell, who would complete them in the shortest possible time, and when com pleted they would afford immensely-increased facilities at reduced cost to the traffic of this company and the Lynvi Valley Railway Company. By the act the two railway com panies became joint and equal owners in the harbours works at Portheawl. The purchase for one moiety had been paid by this company, and the arrangement fixed the Ist August as the date at which the joint ownership should commence. The capital account showed that £23,149 had been received and £20,125 expended, leaving a balance of £3,024. OGMORE VALLEV The report of the directors stated that the works of the railway had proceeded very rapidly during the summer,and it was expected th e li ne would be ready far mineral traffic during the current year. Possession had been obtained of all the lands required for the line, and in most cases the purchase moneys were agreed u p on. The lessees of the l ines of the Duchy of L ancaster were very actively at work, and would be prepared to send a considerable tonnage over the line soon after its completion. The bill promoted by this company in conjunction with the Llynvi Valley Com pany, for the purpose of extending and deepening the harbour of Porthcawl, and mak, rng a floating dock and other conveniences for the .shipping trade, DUTCH-RTIENISII. The receipts for the fortnight ending the 31st of July, 1864, amounted to £14,596, and for the corresponding period of last year to £12,569, showing an increase of £2,027. The receipts since the commencement of the present book year, on the Ist of May, including the above, amounted to £59,443, showing an increase as compared with the corresponding period of last year of £8,408. The working expenses for the fortnight amounted to £4,532, or 31.04 per cent of the re ceiFts, and for the corresponding period of last year to £3,924, or 31.21 per cent, showing an increase of £6OB. The working expenses from the Ist of May, 1863, to the 31st of July, 1864, amounted to £25,397, or 36.57 per cent of the receipts. The working expenses for the year 1862-63 were 39 . 08 per cent of the receipts. MADRAS. The traffic receipts on this company's south-west line, 406 miles in length, amounted to £133,091 for the six months ending the 30th of June last, against £100,738 for the cor responding period of 1863, showing an increase of £32,353, or 32i per cent. over last year. On the North-West line, 41 miles open, the receipts for the six months ending as above have been £7,230, against £5,629 for the correspond ing period of last year, showing an increase of £1,601, or 28i per cent. The aggregate receipts have increased by £33,954, equal to 314 per cent, while the mileage open of both lines has remained the same as last year: CHARING-CROSS HOTEL. Yesterday the second annual meeting of the proprietors was held at the terminus of the South-Eastern Railway, London-bridge —the Hon. J. Byng in the chair. From the report it appeared that satisfactory progress had been made in the construction of the hotel, and as there was every rea son to anticipate a larger demand for sleeping accommoda tion than was at first expected, another of floor o 60 bed , rooms had,beenadded to the building as originally designed. The contract with Messrs Lucas for the construction of the building amounted to £121,542, from which £lO,OOO, re paid by the railway company for their booking-offices at Charing cross, had to be deducted. Up to 30th June last £153,565 had been expended upon capital account, and the directors were now about to exercise the borrowing powers conferred by the articles of association to the extent of £50,000, and receive loans of £lOO each in exchange for de bentures for three or five year at 4 per cent. per annum. The Chairinan moved, and Mr Teulon seconded the adoption of the report, which was carried unanimously. The CHAIRMAN, in answer to questions, said before the next meeting the hotel would be opened, and he trusted would prove remunerative. It would be furnished in the best, but, at the same time, the most economical manner, for £20,000, and £50,000 would complete it. Messrs C. F. Surtees and S. Toulon were re-elected directors, and Messrs Hughes and Smith auditors. Thanks were given to the chairman and directors and the meeting separated. The Twelfth of August, YORKSHIRE MOORS. The 12th opened well on the Glossop subscription moors, belonging to Lord E. Howard, M.P. •The weather was fine and warm, causing the birds to lay well. 519 brace fell to 22 guns, giving an average of 23& brace per gun. The fol lowing gentlemen had the best bags :—Mr T. H. Sidebot tom, 491 brace—Mr J. N. Winterbottom, 381—Mr S. Wood, 37—Mr E. Sykes, 34—Mr A. Harrison, 331—Mr A. Moreland, 311—Mr J. Leeming, 26—Mr J. Wood, 25 —Mr J. Marsland, 221—Mr E. Sidebottom, 22—Mr D. Wood, 22. A Molten correspondent writes :—"The Yorkshire moors had a more than usual number of guns on Friday, and long before daylight the sportsmen were at work. As a rule a good bag was an exception, two brace or at most three being looked upon as good, while some bagged not a single bird. The grouse were remarkably strong and plentiful also, but wild in the extreme, hence the little sport. The moors were parched, and all the streams dried up, causing both sportsmen and their dogs to suffer great fatigue. In some cases the poor dogs were quite exhausted, and had to be carried to water." A Barnsley correspondent says :—" The shooting season has commenced under the most favourable auspices, and promises to be the most successful that has occurred for many years past. The 12th was all that could be desired— warm, with but little wind—and brought out large numbers from all parts of the country. The birds in some instances were a little wild, but on the whole they were large and in fine condition. and lay well for the gun. Amongst the principal bags on Friday was the party of Mr Stanhope, consisting of lour guns, Mho got 83 brace in a short time on the Dunford Bridge side. On the grounds of Sir Lionel Pilkington the birds were very numerous. Mr S. W. Hague killed 44 brace, Mr A. K. Sidebottom, 221; and Mr A. Atherpe, 19/. On Saturday, on the same ground, Mr Hague knocked over 141 brace in the two hours preceding luncheon. Mr Briggs and two guns on the adjoining ground kale,: 25 brace in a few hours, and on Saturday 12 brace up to one o'clock. At Midhope Stones Mr H. Peacock killed 12j brace, and Mr C. Wright 171 brace, On the other moors the sportsmen were equally lucky, Mr H. Mellor, jun., killing 24 brace; Mr H. Mellor sen., 19 ; Mr Robert Sorby and Mr J. Garside, 18i each ; and Mr H. Rollin, 16. Mr J. Chapman was also verysue cessful, and with his party made very large bags. On Cad man's Moor, Mr S. Jessop knocked over 32 brace. Higher up, Mr T. Vickers bagged 254 brace ; Mr Walesfall, 251; and several other gentlemen from 20 to 23 brace. SCOTLAND. Galashiols—Splendid weather, with birds in plenty and strong on the wing, is tho sum of the reports wo hear from the majority of the shootings in this district, Some of the grounds have as yet not been shot over, but capital sport has been had on several moors. On Friday the Yair party of four guns, comprising Mr Alexander I'ringle, Sir John Marchbank, Mr Macgill Crichton, and Mr David Pringle, bagged 25 brace of grouse and 8 hares. Mr Mitchell lanes of Stow, on his hill farm of Williamhope, brought down 12 brace to his single gun. Crieff—Tho sport on the various moors tested in this dis trict on the 12th was upon the whole the best that has been enjoyed on the opening day for a number of years. The young broods of grouse are numerous on all the moors, and both old and young birds have seldom been seen so early in the season in such fine condition. The grouse are strong and wild, and some difficulty was experienced by the mast expert marksmen in getting within gunshot. Friday was an excellent day for shooting, and Saturday, though frosty in the morning, turned out equally good. The abundance of grouse may be conceited from the fact that after midday on the 12th Sir Hugh Campbell, Bart., shot to his own gun 63 brace of grouse. Sir Patrick K. Murray, Bart., and another gentleman, were very successful on the moors of Ochtertyre, both on the 12th and 13th. The Glenturret hills have also afforded Mr Draper and party good sport, and the prospects of sportsmen were never more satisfactory in that quarter. Several hours before evening on the 12th his Royal Highness the Maharajah Singh had bagged on the moors of Loch Kennard Lodge, Grantully, 122 brace of grouse, besides other game. At Shian, Mr Johnstone shot 15 brace of grouse and 1 hare. At Lamers Mr James Dunlop killed 24 brace of grouse and 4 hares, and Master Dunlop shot 7 brace of grouse on Clathic moors. Mr Guinnis has had first-class sport on the hill of Fendoch. In the Killin district all the sportsmen who have been out have also been very successful in bagging grouse and other kinds of game. Tho number of boxes and hampers of game sent from the railway station to the south on Saturday showed that the slaughter had been very great. On the Kinloch and Tumoh moors, Messrs Pearson Knowles and party (four guns) killed 124 brace grouse and 9 hares. Brechin —The 12th opened very favourably for the sports men in the glens here, the weather being fine and the birds very plentiful, but strong on the wing. On Friday, at Invermark, Lochlee, five guns, the Earl of Dalhousie had 17 brace grouse—Major Youug, 112 brace grouse, 1 hare, and 1 plover—Col. R. Ramsay. 5M brace grouse and 1 hare —Col Dundas, 20 brace grouse and 1 plover—Capt Pearetb, 86i brace grouse and 1 hare—total to the five guns, 592 head. HARVEST PROSPECTS. BRISTOL AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. The wheat crop in the district round Bristol will be a full average one, both as to quantity and quality, it having ripened a good colour, and the ears being well filled. In many parts the crop of red wheat will be equal to last year, but the white, being more or less blighted, will not be over an average. There is every prospect of a good crop of bar ley, and the quality will be excellent, The crop of oats is affected by the prevailing drought. The straw in many places is short, and the yield will be below an average. There will bo a fair average crop of winter beans, but spring-sown vary greatly. Many pieces are almost a com plete failure from blight, while others are nearly a full crop. On the whole, taking winter and spring beans to gether, it is not expected tho crop will exceed half the usual average. Peas are the worst crop of the season, more than half those sown having been cut up for fodder, and the remainder will yield very badly. Potatoes have stood the drought better than any of the root crops, and thus far are free irmn disease,and promise anabundant yield. Mangolds, turnips, and swedes aro almost everywhere a failure. Hay is a short crop, but good' in quality, and is realising high prices. Tho crop of apples is abundant. SUFFOLK. The weather continues highly favourable for the prosecu tion of harvest work in Suffolk. In the neighbourhood of Bungey the wheats on the heavy land will/ yield a fair averege crop, but on the light lands they will bo deficient. The heavy 'Ands will also produce a large crop of barley, but the light lands will be much under an average. Beans and peas will, it is expected, bo found a full average, while grass, turnips, and mangolds will, in consequence of the prolonged drought, prow very deficient, :SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS, TlMEs.—Oar readers may entertain themselves this morning with an account of the largest trade ever known in the world. The shop is kept by the British nation; the customers are supplied by the four quarters of the globe. That the story may be well understood we publish the whole statement of the officers whose duty it is to inspect the books and estimate the value of the business. Our own part will be performed in a few plain words of introduc tion and comment. Most nations making any pre tension to civilisation have traded with their neigh• bouts—that is to say, they have bought what they could not produce at home or produce insufficiency, and sold what they produced exceptionally or produced in excess. A few communities i❑ all ages have carried their trade beyond these limits, and have bought not only for use, but for the ex press purpose of selling again. That is what we do now, and this is the explanation of the first great division in the accounts before us. We export to foreign countries first so much of our own produce —that is to say, the produce of Great Britain and Ireland—as we do not want at home, and then so much of our imports from foreign countries and our colonies as we do not need for home consumption. Besides being manufacturers, therefore, we are mer chants and carriers, and the account of our exports is divided accordingly between articles produced by ourselves and articles imported for the purpose of exporting; while our imports are similarly classi fied as designed for our own use or for selling to other. The proportions existing between the diffe rent branches of the account will be easily discerned. Having premised this much, we do but request the reader, after reflecting on the prodigious mag nitude of the totals, to observe the simple and natural influences on which this immense business depends. In its fluctuations it obeys the same laws as the business of the commonest shop. There is exactly the same liability to overtrading and its consequences, exactly the same uncertainty of speculation, exactly the same recurrence of lucky hits and unexpected disappointments. The Com missioners of Customs are still surprised, if not perplexed, to discover that the suspension of the cotton trade really tells but little on the gross trade of the country, though the moral now evil dent is that such a commerce as ours does not de pend on any one staple or any one market. We were under a delusion from the beginning in this matter, and were alarmed without cause_ It is not that new Kings have succeeded Cotton, but that cotton was never King at all. So long as trade is free and intercourse unimpeded we shall find out what the wants of the world are and supply them, People must not only eat, drink, but be clothed, and after that they want iron. These wants will be found to explain and cover all the items of ex ports selected by the Commissioners as showing a notable increase over last year's returns- After this wo may say that the course of trade is modified by war and the seasons, with a considerable allowance for legislation. War is now the most potential ele ment at work. The American war first deprived us of Southern cotton, and then, as its next result, created a new class of customers and new demands. We have been roaming over the whole earth in search of the material which we used to procurefrom Charleston, but could procure no longer. Where we found it we bought it, whatever the price ; where we did not find it, but thought it might be pro duced, we offered a premium for its production. Thus our gold has been poured into India, Egypt, and 'Turkey by shiploads ; and Hindoos, Egyptians, and Turks, enriched by our money, have spent it afterwards in our markets. Then there are the demands arising out of the war itself and all its hideous work. The cannon and rifles, the swords and bayonets, the lead, the powder, the bullets, and the cartridges, that we have sent to America repro seat an entirely new trade. In fact, the trade has been actually overdone, as any other might be. The demand for these murderous commodities, though still four times as large as it used to be, fell off a little last year. Even Grant and Lee, voracious consumers as they are, could not exhaust the stores with which we glutted the American market the year before last. Next to war comes the season— that annual crisis through which we are passing at this very moment. Let the reader look well to the harvest prospects as we report them. The result may govern the course of the American war more power= fully than either Grant's obstinacy or Lee's gene• ralship. If we have to send to America for any considerable proportion of the corn which we want, the price paid will help the Federal Government, mollify the tempers of the North- Western farmers, and perhaps enable Mr. Chase's successor to pay his way for some time. This is a point at which the increase of our trade ceases to be matter of congratulation. If we import more tea, coffee, sugar, or wine than before, it is evidence of general prosperity ; if we import more corn, it is evidence mainly of a bad harvest. We must have the corn somehow, and if it is not forthcoming from the home crop, we must buy it elsewhere and pay for it. The excellent harvest of last year brought our imports from America down to a very low figure, bat left us all the richer instead of poorer. Legislation can, of course, be so exercised as to control trade absolutely, but in our own country and in the present day there is no longer room for any very great effect. A reduction of duties on any article naturally increases consumption. It will be seen that in the course of the last four years two thirds, as nearly as. possible, of the losses anti cipated from the removal of Customs have been recovered from the extension of trade. But BC' these modifications, now necessarily slight, do not much affect the gross results. Even in the most notable instance of reoent legislation—the French Treaty—it seems doubtful whether we have not overrated its probable action on the national trade. The first effect of the new intercourse was an enor- moss jump in our exports to France; but in the very next year, the rise, though still maintained, was less decided, and now we find that last year a reaction had distinctly set in. There are two explanations of the fact. In the original rise there was probably something artificial or factitious—that is to say, our opportunities had been overestimated, and we supplied goods in excess of the real demand ; so that a little curtailment of the trade ensued when we discovered our mistake. But, besides this, it is said that we have put the Frenchman on his mettle. He has no idea of losing his home trade if h e can keep it, and has set himself to work under the stimulus of competition to match the manufac • tures of England, not without success. It is, how- ever, remarkable that there was a miscalculation on the other side of the account also. On nothing was so much reliance placed, and naturally placed, as on the disposition of Englishmen to consume French wines if they were but made fairly accessible, We entertain, as our readers know, grave doubts whe ther this condition has been properly fulfilled, but as things now stand, it is certain that even the con. sumption which was actually established is already falling off. We did last year import wine in largely increased quantities, but it was wine of the old quality, not of the new. tort and sherry carried everything before them, and totally eclipsed the Clarets and Burgundies of our neighbours. In fact, the practical result of the French Treaty has been to set everybody drinking the white wines of Spain. But the most assuring feature, after all, in the report before us is the breadth of the commercial basis which these very uncertainties disclose. It is satis factory to find that though things do not always happen as they were expected to happen, still we are as well off as if they did. This broad general result, always arrived at in some way or other, is far better than the product of some special privilege or monopolised manufacture. It lessens risks and . distributes liabilities. If, indeed, we could lose such a trade as the cotton trade without feeling the loss, we may without presumption think ourselves safe for the future from everything but war. What war might do no man can tell, but we think nobody can read this report of our trade without rejoicing that peace has been preserved through this critical year against the manifold dangers which threatened it. HERALD.—Once more tha Federal army has re coiled from the defences of Petersburg. On the 30th July, after nearly six weeks of inaction, General Grant made his final effort to storm the intrench meats from which he had been twice driven back ; again ho was d e f ea t e d with losses exceeding in all probability those of the former assau lts. The atta c k had been most carefully matured ; it was looked for ward to with confidence in the Federal camp ; the . secret had been well kept ; was a surprise, and began with a disaster to the Canfederates—one of those terrible blows which most severely t r y the stamina of an army — yet it failed completely and disgracefully , . Two days before two corps of the Federal army had been transferred to the left bank of the James River. This move ment was a feint, but a clumsy one. So expe rienced a General as Lee must have known well that Grant had no int ent i on of permanently dividing his army, and the only effect the attempted diversion had was probably increased vigilance at Petersburg and minute p reparat i on for the expected The assault. two corps crossed and recrossed the James Riv . er, and were in th e i r o ld li nes o n the morning of the 30th. At daybreak the assaulting columns were quietly massed behind the entrench= ments, the word was given, and a touch of th e elec tric wire hurled i n t o t h e a i r a comman di ng battery of si x guns in the C on f e d erate pos i t i on , b u ryi▪ ng in its ruins 250 of it s b rave defenders. S a llying from li ne , the their ea r th wor k s, protected by a heavy fire of artillery from a l ong the whole forth Federal columns stream e d over t h e s h a ttered redoubt and lined the trenches right and loft of it. But they had no cov er f rom the terrif i c s t o rm . of musketry and grape poured on them from the inner li▪ ne of earth7l°th ; and they had no alter native but to da y . 100/01 mod Wm" liver a new assault. The fire of the Co ufed crates was too deadly. Again and again the ad , ran( 8 was tried and failed ; and, finally, Burnside's peg ro 're 4 giments were hurled against the entre: whin oats. Tney broke, and it was now the turn o f t be Cc nfe derates to charge; after a brief struggle tl ter °' deral troops were driven out of the trenches the/ had occupied, a demoralised and panics tricks n r o b , to the lines they occupied before the assa) T t at losses must have been severe on both s. But the casualties of the F e derals, as thO atk 32 " an ' would of course far outnumber those of the South ern army, protected during the greate r par t of the engagement, and we shall not be surpr , ' ia Court that even the bloody failnresof Spottsyl v an : can t in House and the Chickahominy are insig till B ed to lear n comparison with this. The report of ae ec °IA , at : tack is obviously a mistake. Grant could ha, ye be en in no position to renew the struggle, and it i 9 H ite clear that if he failed on the morning of the 30t h , he had after the successful explosion of the mine/ not the slightest chance three days later. I vis it of President Lincoln, and the report of an nee gation into the causes of the repulse, sugge st any thing but a continuance of the siege of and favour the rumour of the withdrawal of th whole of Grant's army to the neighbourhood of Washington. The prestige of the Nor thern army would_ and the honour of the United States conr.sg: have su ff ered less if Grant had found tile fete rsburge: to confess the failure of his plan of ntia l ° /ig t .., after his defeats in the Wilderness and t.,t SP°tr sylvania Court House. If President Liect )1n we b e working singly with a view to the extinction of tt rebellion, he would probably supersede G raz tt, W re has certainly proved himself the greatest !alt. ; as regards campaigning in Virginia, the Non yet produced, with the exception of Pope. Ten is a good quality in a general ; but the tea ,c"4 which week after week lannches raw troops sg s h , 11) : ‘ ,1 1 impregnable positions, defended by veterans ; : g ie has sacrificed 100,000 men without gaining a s _,`"P o f victory ; and which, long after every condia success has vanished, persists in attempts to ac - la triumph by sacrifices at which every real 5 0 il a t is appalled, is s impl e ma d ne s s . It is rumoured ..„ I d, Meade is to retire in favour of Hooker. That T e d be quite in accord with the policy which Baer M'Ciellan. Meade is a general who has sense of responsibility. His prudence has on than one occasion saved the army of the PO t)11 : n d from destruction and the North from rain' ; A da even in the Federal army before Petersburg "riot' , is generally acknowledged to be Grant's OP' t he The friends of the South can only hope tb,. ° 4 ,1 0 0t rumour may be confirmed ; for Grant, Ny' - ' 03 3, Meade's counsel, will certainly destroy the last. ar. 4 , 0 the North can put in the field. No generta 13113 0. the commencement Of the war has wielded suo powers as Grant. He has absolute freedom, tl . ie b tl o le d pointment of all his officers, the ordering the' - a• campaign, entire irresponsibility, the entire c T i l i o . dente—we might say the imbecile trust—of ill e st coin Cabinet. On him alone does the failure Areth; and what a failure-100,000 men sacrificed, al " 4 „, p g defences of Richmond intact ; General Lee lta e t i p j v him at bay with 30,000 or 40,000 troops at P e f ` r - 0 - 0 burg, .nd a Confederate corps seven mile c l ac- Washington ; an army of 120,000 men rottir tg tive on tae marshes of the James River and ClPan; bersburg, in Pennsylvania, laid under conte )0 l i on; Baltimore and Pittsburg and Philadelphia is ag°"ou of terror, each expecting the blow will Gra nt's 11 n herself, and quite unprep a red t o meet it. Toof strategy, and to that only, is all the humilia lle r - e ad the North to be traced; and wa confess We with surprise the efforts that are made by a P 41 .,`" re of theEngliah p ress t o b u ild u p so obvious ii.fg a great military reputation. COUNTRY MARKETS. COLCIIESTER--Auct. 13. mi pply At this cornexchange to-day there was a fair, r of p wheat, princip a lly new , an d l a t e prices deeli our • quo - qr. A few sampl es o f new b ar l ey were so ld at twos. Beans and peas dearer. 46s 50s cf.:33 "1 Wheat, white. Beans, Mazagan S Q , 4010 red 46s 46s middle & swab."'" 38a Barley Oats 20s 25s grey ..... GLOUCESTER—Aua. 13. wiTthhearemwodaesrattefasiurpaptryndofanEcengolarmwheresaat: wiliFtrokhetria,C7Clogi slowly, NORTHAMPTON—Aua. 13. A fair business doing in grain at a decline of Is to 8 per qr. Not much barley on offer, and in favour of sellers. —White wheat, new, 40s to 445; new red, 370 w 366 40-- 9; old. 34s to 38s per qr. Barley, new malting, 34 s to grinding. 27s to 29s per qr. Oats, 24s to 32$ per 21 store' Beans, 34s to 40.1.: Peas, 34s to 37s per qr. RD—Auct. 12. grain on offer at our marke t 11 at about last week's quota' wn in good condition, a nd ra° expected. Yeas, Partridge 36g 386 White 30s 34s Boiling ..38s 426 Dun ..31s ..35$ Ditto new ......--s , Beans, Tick, old ..343 37s new..- 0 Harrow Ticks ..35s 355 .• Mazagan ............. CHELMSFO. We had a small show of g to-day, but the trade was dui tions. Some new wheat shove ther better samples than was Wheat, old white 45s 49s , new 44s 48s old red 41s 45s new 40s 44s Barley 25s 33s Chevalier ..... ..26s 36s Grinding 20s 28s Malt. Chevalier 64s 688 Oats 20s 26s KIRKCALDY GRAIN—AUG. 13. We had small supplies of wheat and oats a t market, and only ono parcel of barley. Prices were abou t the owe as last week. Wheat. First....36a Od Second ..37a 6d Third....39s Od Barley. Oats. —s Od I 18s Od —s Od 19s Od —s Od 20s 6d COAL M PrWee of Coal per Tonal ,KET. the clove of the market. e• s. d. North Felton Gas.., .:,13 3 alker Primrose 13 3 Lambert's West Hart ley 18 3 Ea= Main 17 6 Walls End. Haswell ***** •• .19 0 Hartlepool lB 9 18 0 S o uth Kelloe H e ugh Hall lB 0 Hetton 19 0 Riddell. .... l6 9 Gosforth . l6 9 Walls End. Braddyll' a iletton 1 8 7 91 Cassop ...... Ships at market it, 71; sold, 57. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS DUE. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton.. .Arig- 1 ,,S v!a Marseilles .. Aug. 12. Brasil and Cape Verde, by British packet. S e pt' 41, 2g• Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena.. Au - 8 , China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton. Aug• 4 via Marseilles ...Aug. Falkland Islands .. ...... , a Gibraltar, via Southampton .. 1 India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton.. Aug' i z. via Marseilles.... Aug. 6 India (Bombay), via Southampton Aug. 2 via Marseilles Aug , 20 -- via Portugal.... Sept. is. .... _ Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton ...... Aug' v. via Marseilles ........ Aug. a . Newfoundland Aug° Oporto and Vigo .. n ,. 1 7. U. S. and British N. America, Ly Brit. packet.. • • Ati -lib by U.S. packet.. • .. xug . 1. by Canadian pack6* 13. All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Pertly J Aug' California. and British Columbia. ........... ry over [ADVERTlSEMENT.]—Holloway'safebodY Disease.—There is a constant tendency in the human. be to pass from strength to weakness unless some rn, e , an de. adopted to counteract the 1 ‘ wear and tear," arid other de. this i r d teriorating influences. Holloway's ills effect rably ; they accomplish all the most exacting hiv 9 " l l , and require. As alteratives they regulate the rouse the liver ;as purifiers they improved the dao al l quality; as aperients they promote peristaltic acti boa tonics they invigorate the nervous system. n 1‘ disease. blessed with health thousands previously blasted bY nee d. In all cases of indigestion, palpitatiDn, perspiretierers aches, heartburn, and functional obstructions• o s n w hich have Holloway's pills as a resource to fall backup never disappoint their most sanguine licipm• Bwmaciiood,a DENNY.—On the 13th in E st ir , t a h t sjhislehurst, S.E. the rife A o w t w ' itse G eorge ooNf. _ n Wilfrid the Denny,Lawso n , sho E ni n e , of at a Brayd aig t o h n t c . MAJOR.—On the 14th inst., at Cromwell House, Lonppa's. hill-terrace, Croydon, Mrs. Charles M. Major, of a eon. nmberland, the Esq., MX., of a daughter. Magee. CoDnlNGTort—ConunotTorr.—On the 11th inst., at the parish church, rode Lieutenant G. IL F. C o d r i ng t o n, Scinde Horse, to Edith Henrietta, second s daughter a Major-Gen eral Codrin g ton, her Majesty' Indian Army. TODILUNTER---DAVIES.—On the 13th inst., at St. Paul's , Cambrioge, Isaac Todhunter, Esq., F.R.S ,, to Louisa Anna Maria, eldest daughter of Captain Ge orge D a vies, R.N. Deaths. the 15th inst., John Davis, Esq., of Cra brooke-ps.rk, Essex, and Wellclose, 13rockworth, aloa n- c ostershire, aged 61, DOUGLAS. —On the 14th inst., at Mortimer House, Main' steeet, Captain the Hon. A. J. Douglas, Royal NO Y , aged 62. EVANS.—On the 13th inst., at Haydock Grange, Sain t Helen's, Lancashire, Richard Evans, Esq., ag ed 86. FINCH.—At Limerick, Daniel Finch, Esq., of Cragroa , co. Clare. GRIFFITH.—On the 12th inst., at Winc hester, Owen D. Griffith, Esq„ aged 47. THORLEY.—On the 14th inst., at Hull, Mr. Josiah Thor ley, late of MM.'s Customs, aged 65. Lon ot don: Prin:A and Prblished by WILLIAM ANDIigWS. No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TILE Surr Oface No. 12 : Strand, in the Precinct of the 3avoy, in the C" nt7 °L UlltlicleX, 7 rfueschty, August 10, 1861.